04 11 13 VoA – DRC Wants Rebellion's End, Not Cease-Fire

FILE
– Congolese soldiers move to front line positions as they advance against the
M23 rebels in Kibumba, north of Goma, Oct. 27, 2013.

 

M23 leader Bertrand Bisimwa said on Sunday after his fighters
were pushed from one of their last remaining strongholds that he wanted the
cease-fire to allow stalled peace talks with the government to go
forward.

Congolese Information Minister Lambert Mende told VOA that the
rebels must commit to a series of steps to fully demobilize, not just enact a
cease-fire.

He added that with the army's recent gains, he expects the
fighting will be over in a matter of days.

The rebels consist of fighters
who joined the Congolese army in a 2009 peace deal, but later defected after
complaining of poor treatment. Last November, they captured several cities in
the country's mineral-rich east.

Bisimwa told VOA the rebels are fighting
for "security."

"We know that this part of Congo, the eastern part of
Congo, there are many, many groups, foreign groups, who are killing, who are
raping, and we can't continue to accept this," said Bisimwa.

He said the
people living in the area have "suffered for a long time," and that M23 is
fighting to build roads, hospitals and schools and give locals an opportunity to
get jobs.

The United Nations has pressed the two sides to agree to a
peace deal as part of efforts to stabilize the eastern DRC. However, negotiators
said the talks broke down last month with the parties divided over a proposed
amnesty for the rebels.